Baby Daddy
by D.T. Mars
Summary: It was a one night stand gone completely wrong. Richard didn't mean to get her pregnant. Honest, he didn't.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_** I don't know where this came from. Uhm. I don't even really know what's going on here, but we can find out together. Haha! :) I hope you enjoy and don't hesitate to tell me what you think!

_Disclaimer:_ This is a _fanfiction_ website. -_crickets_- Haha!

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_Baby Daddy_: Introduction

**_._**

It was a one night stand gone completely wrong.

Richard didn't mean to get her pregnant.

Honest, he didn't.

Normally, he would never let anyone or anything take the fall for whatever he had done. He was always quick to take the blame or responsibility for anything he did whether it was good, bad, or repercussions would be incurred. This was just how he was raised, but _hell_. He was blaming this _entire_ pregnancy on the lack of a proper summer vacation.

To his family, 'summer' was always translated to 'traveling'. Of course, being the adopted son of the one and only Bruce Wayne, such hefty traveling fees were always taken care of no matter how plenty and expensive they were. He had seen the Niagara Falls, climbed the Northern Alps, received a personal tour of the Taj Mahal, seen the Great Pyramids up close, and played soccer with children in the streets of Brazil. He had even gone to the Disneyland in Paris, France. By the time Richard was sixteen years old, he had already seen more of the world than most people could ever even dream of seeing. This summer, however, the one leading up to his final year at the university, he decided to stay home.

The house was empty this summer. Honestly speaking, the great house was always empty during the summer. This was just the first summer that he actually witnessed it for himself. Although Richard wanted to stay home for the summer, he didn't actually want to sit around the house all day. So one morning, he took the train to Jump City. He had already explored most of the world, so he may as well do the same with the area surrounding him.

This summer wasn't the first that he heard of Jump, but it certainly was the first that he had ever stepped foot in it. The whole vibe of that city was so different when compared to Gotham. Gotham had always had such a dark and gloomy air about it, but Jump seemed to be lighter and exuded brightness even during the warm or cool summer nights. He liked it, and soon enough, he would be spending his entire days, from morning to night, in the city. It took about a week and some days before he found some places that he liked to frequent.

One night, he discovered a café.

Richard wasn't even sure how he managed to find it. It may or may not have just been him following the scent that his nose picked up, but he wasn't complaining. The café was relatively small, as all cafés somehow had a tendency to be. It smelled absolutely delicious, and although it was always warm, the air was never humid, sticky, or uncomfortable. It was quite cozy, the workers were kind, and it felt pretty homey.

But it was the barista that caught his eye.

The barista looked more like a "Gotham" girl than a "Jump" girl at first glance. She was small and petite, and her skin was incredibly pale. Had it been the winter, he would have understood, but it was the summer and the sun was blazing almost every day. Did she just never stand out in the sun? To top it all off (literally), her hair was a dark and dusky color. It wasn't necessarily _black_, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the color. Admittedly, she was quite strange looking and she barely even smiled. Whenever she did smile, and he would be watching her, it would always be more of a short smirk.

Every night, she would man the front, and he would always watch her from the little table in the corner that he had claimed since finding the café. Every now and then, she would tense, her brows would knit, and she would look up to catch whoever was watching her. Richard would immediately look down and flip through the pages of his book that sat on the table before him. After a moment, he would take a peek and find her back to work. A smile would slide onto his face then as one, single thought ran through his mind:

He wanted her.

It was a pretty stupid thought when he considered the fact that he had never spoken one word to her before. He had never even approached the front before and the mere thought made him nervous. The reality of becoming nervous by just _thinking_ about approaching the _counter_ and not even _her_ made him even more nervous, and it was absolutely ridiculous. Girls _never_ made _Richard_ nervous - _Richard_ made _girls_ nervous. It was _always_ the other way around. But every night, he would take the train back home smelling like cappuccinos, lattes, and deeply ground coffee beans while thinking about her.

It was the classic tale of the lowly customer fawning over the barista of his dreams.

One night, the café was quiet. Hushed conversations and murmurs bounced and reverberated off of the walls. Every now and then, a sudden laugh or exclamation was heard as a love song being strummed to a delicate guitar flowed through the speakers. It was empty save for the few dedicated and regular patrons that Richard had already become accustomed to seeing. He took the lack of people (and the lack of an audience) as a chance to finally approach the front.

Along with this being the first time that he had approached the front, this was also the first time that he had seen the barista up close. Her skin was still pale, but it looked like her entire body was formed and created with pure moon dust. True to his suspicion, her hair wasn't black. It wasn't even a slight variation or a dusky version of black. Her hair was a deep plum color that was pulled back into a messy bun at the nape of her neck and her eyes were the most unusual shade of purple that he had ever seen. He was skeptical of her hair color, but he was a little less skeptical of her eyes being a result of contact lenses. She was still strange looking, but it was an exotic sort of strange. In short, she was beautiful.

"Hello, may I take your order?"

Richard blinked. Her voice was deep and husky; a sound that he was not expecting to come out of her mouth, but he decided that any other tone would have sounded wrong. And it caught him completely off guard. So off guard that he actually blurted out an ever eloquent: "Huh?"

She arched a brow. "Are you always this articulate?"

"Hey," one of her coworkers admonished playfully with a waggling finger as they made their way through the back door. "Be nice now."

As the coworker slipped away, the barista rolled her eyes and her sarcasm finally sunk in. Inwardly, Richard began berating himself for allowing the first word that he ever said to her be '_huh_'. Nevertheless, he sat on a stool with a chuckle - a nervous one. "Sorry. I was just a bit distracted by your eyes."

She didn't look sorry for her previous sarcasm or flattered by his little line. She didn't begin to stutter, giggle, or even blush. Instead, she crossed her arms with a dismissive snort. "Please tell me that you weren't just trying to flirt with me."

"That depends. How am I doing?"

"Dreadfully poor."

Dreadfully poor? Only a Gotham girl would say something like that. Because of this, he laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'm done."

A corner of her mouth turned up. "You never started." Before he could interject, she continued with a, "May I take your order _now_?"

He looked to the chalkboard above her head. All of the names of the foods and drinks were there along with the prices, but he had never actually ordered anything before this. He always just came to read a book and to catch a glimpse of her.

He met her eyes and his stomach turned. How eyes could hold and possess so much depth, Richard would never understand. "What do you suggest?"

"The chocolate oolong berry tea."

"You answered that pretty quickly. Is that your favorite?"

"Yes."

"I'll take it." When she rolled her eyes again and turned to make the drink, he allowed a smile to grow onto his face.

"You're not from around here," she commented as she worked. "A few of my coworkers noticed you last week. They think that you're gorgeous."

"And you?"

"I've seen better."

He whistled lowly. "Ouch." He snickered because he didn't miss the slight raising of her cheekbones. "You're right. I'm not from around here. I'm from Gotham."

"_Gotham_?" She sounded surprised. "What's a Gotham kid doing so far from home?"

"I got curious."

"Hm. I bet." She returned with a large, steaming mug and placed it in front of him. At that, she cocked her head to the side in the most kiddish way and a few wisps of hair escaped the bun to grace her jawline. She looked absolutely adorable. "Taste it."

Suddenly, the perfect blend of chocolate and berries permeated the air around him. He raised the mug to his lips and took a careful sip. He was pleasantly surprised as he set the mug down. "It's delicious. You have good taste."

She seemed to be fighting a smile. "What made you so curious about Jump?"

Her. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet, anyway. "This is the first summer that I've actually stayed at home and not gone vacationing. I thought that I'd do some exploring."

"And you found your way to our little café," she said with a nod. "Did daddy run out of traveling money or something?"

Okay, this girl _had_ to be from Gotham. "Where are you from?" He didn't mean to ignore her question. He just had to know.

"Jump."

"Born and raised?"

She nodded, but looked suspicious. "Why?"

Richard shook his head. "You just seem like a Gotham girl."

She snorted loudly. "A _Gotham girl_? Do you always compare the new women you meet to the ones that you're familiar with?"

This was ridiculous. She had to have at least _one_ parent or even a grandparent that hailed from Gotham. "No one in your family is from Gotham?"

Her jaw ticked. Then she rolled her eyes to the ceiling with a sigh. "My mother is from Gotham."

Ha! His lips turned up and into a smile. He could spot a Gotham girl from a mile away whether they were full blooded or not. She met his eyes and he raised the mug to his lips to take another sip. "What's your name?"

"Guess," she deadpanned. "You seem to be a little detective boy."

He chuckled as he looked her over and set his mug down. She really was beautiful. "Priscilla."

She cringed. "Ew. Is that the best you can come up with, detective boy?"

Richard shrugged the nickname off. "I just said the first pretty name that came to mind."

The barista crossed her arms and watched him suspiciously. Before she could answer, the same coworker from earlier barged in through the back door. "Raven, a couple of us are-" He stopped short with a growing grin. "Are you too busy flirting to listen to me?"

The barista, or Raven, never took her eyes off of Richard. "I'm not the one flirting here."

Richard arched a brow.

Raven set her jaw. "Did you need something, Garfield?"

Garfield shook his head with a full blown grin. He held his hands up and began backing up and through the back door. "Nope. Not anymore. I'll just ask Terra. Continue."

Once Garfield was out of the scene, Richard spoke. "How am I doing now?"

"Surprisingly enough, better than before."

Good. He smiled and she pursed her lips in an attempt to fight off her own. "Raven? Nice name."

"Is that pretty enough for you?"

She asked, but Richard knew that she couldn't care less what he thought. So, he told her the truth. "It's perfect."

This time, she allowed both corners of her mouth to curve up. It was a very small curving, and he wouldn't have even noticed it had he not been watching her so closely, but he saw it. Although it definitely couldn't constitute as a smile, it made his stomach turn. "Thanks. You know my name. What's yours?"

"Richard."

"Like the three kings," she commented a bit offhandedly. "Nice."

"Thanks." She nodded in a sort of 'you're welcome' type of way and he continued. "I wasn't lying when I said that I was distracted by your eyes earlier. Are those natural?"

Immediately, she looked insulted. "Do they look fake to you?"

He held his hands up in defense for the second time that night. "This is just the first time that I've seen purple eyes."

"Violet," she corrected. "And they're a birth defect. A 'genetic mutation', if you will. At least, that's what the doctors call it."

Richard nodded. He knew that eyes like that could never be unnatural no matter how strange or uncommon the color was. They were much too deep and expressive to be contact lenses. "What about your hair? Is that a genetic mutation, too?"

It was then that the corners of her lips fully turned up. Not in a smile, but in that little smirk that he had seen her giving her customers from his little corner. "Wouldn't you like to know, detective boy?"

Up close, that little smirk made her look a bit devilish. To be quite honest, it made him wonder just how wild she was in bed.

How wild she _could_ be.

How wild he could _get_ her to be.

"I would."

Richard didn't take her home that night. _She_ took _him_ home - just like a true Gotham girl would. They crept through the front door of her apartment, and once she made sure that her parents weren't home, all bets were off. He kissed her all over and she tasted just like that chocolate oolong berry tea that she made for him. He ran his hands all over her soft moon dusted skin, got his fingers caught in her deep plum colored hair, inhaled her deeply ground coffee bean scent, and had those violet eyes clamping shut constantly and consistently. Discovering for himself just how wild she could be once she got from behind that counter at the café was definitely an ego boost. Despite how reserved she was there, in bed she liked to bite, scratch and claw, tug at his hair, and even growl. Most importantly of all, after careful and patient deliberation, Richard discovered that her hair color was utterly, completely, and without a doubt _absolutely_ _natural_.

To sum it all up, it was _awesome_.

This wasn't Richard's first one night stand. It wasn't her first, either. There was nothing romantic or cute about it. It was pure and unadulterated sex paired up with witty banter the next morning.

Richard was fine with it.

Raven was fine with it.

But the universe was not.

All was well for about a week. He continued to frequent the café and she continued to work there, not that she would stop for him. They never touched each other or spoke to each other again, but there were always secret glances and looks from across the room until it came time for him to leave.

Suddenly, she disappeared.

As stated before, this was a one night stand that had gone completely wrong. No matter how _awesome_ it was, it had gone wrong, _all wrong_, and he should have known when she missed a day of work. And the day after that. And the next day. And the _next_ day. And the _next_ _day_. He had just discovered the café, but he just _knew_ that she would never miss a day of work. She didn't call him '_detective boy_' for nothing.

Richard shouldn't have been stressing so much over her. It wasn't like they were in a relationship. They had sex once and never spoke to each other after that, but he couldn't stop worrying about her. This gave him his first clue to the dire mistake that he had made. The mistake being his woman of choice.

Richard was from Gotham City - born and raised. So, of course he would have a penchant for Gotham girls. He grew up with Gotham girls and constantly interacted with them on a daily basis. If he was to ever speak on his 'type', the first word out of his mouth would be "_Gotham_". Out of all the women that he had met outside of Gotham, none had ever reminded him of his city more than Raven. That in itself was a problem.

Rule number one to choosing a one night stand? Do _not_ choose someone that you _know_ you will not be able to cut off easily.

Richard broke that rule as soon as he set his sights on her. He would never be able to cut Gotham off, so he _definitely_ wouldn't be able to cut Raven off. She was the witty barista from Gotham who wasn't even _really_ from Gotham. He should have never pursued her. In fact, he shouldn't have even _looked_ at her in the first place because now that she was gone, he couldn't keep an eye out for her. He couldn't stop thinking of her.

Pa. The. Tic. To the _highest_ degree. _Possible_.

Nevertheless, Richard continued to come to the café. He continued to sit at his little corner hoping that he would see her working at the front, taking people's orders, and making drinks. But she never showed up. After about three nights of waiting out, he almost decided that he was done waiting out for a girl who wasn't even his.

It was on the third night that he found her. He was stepping out and he caught her leaving through the back. "Raven?"

She jumped and turned around to face him.

'Caught' really was the appropriate term because she didn't look too happy to hear him say her name. Actually, she looked ready to bolt and it was ridiculous how much he cared. It was a freaking. One. Night. Stand. Yet, he was still approaching her steadily as to not scare her away. He looked to the café, then to her. "You still work here?"

Raven looked at him like he was stupid. "I need money."

He almost exhaled a breath of relief right then and there. At least she wasn't changing up on him. "I was only asking because you kind of disappeared."

"I just stopped working the front. I work at the back now-" Quickly, she bit on her lip. She obviously had not mean to tell him that last part.

"Why are you working at the back?" he asked. Still, she remained quiet, chewing on her lip in defiance. It was _ridiculous_ how much she reminded him of his city. "Have you been trying to avoid me?"

At that, she scoffed. Her bottom lip was red and swollen as she rolled her eyes up to the sky. "Oh, please. Why would _I_ be avoiding _you_, Boy Blunder?"

His brows jumped at the new name, but he was glad that she was speaking. "What is it, then? Is something wrong?"

Raven scoffed once again. Although, a very tiny smile did seem to be playing at her lips. She crossed her arms and the light breeze made the little baby hairs that couldn't fit into her bun dance about her face. "The number one and cardinal rule of a one night stand is to not worry about what the other person is doing after the sex. 'Do you and I'll do me'. Have you ever heard that phrase?"

Richard knew the phrase. He lived by it. Well, he _usually_ lived by it. "Watching out for Gotham girls is in my blood."

"I'm not from Gotham."

"You sure act like you are."

"I'm pregnant."

Record scratch.

"_Huh_-?! _What_-?!"

She snorted with an arched brow. "I suppose you really are always this articulate." At that, she turned and walked away.

Richard could only watch her walk away. Pregnant? She couldn't be _pregnant_ and bringing a _kid_ into this world. _His_ kid. He wasn't ready to be a _father_. He was ready to take on his final year at the university and graduate. Didn't they use some sort of protection?

Suddenly, a feeling dread overtook him.

No. They didn't use protection.

So excited was Richard that he had actually found a Gotham girl outside of Gotham that he took her raw. No wonder it was so awesome. Now, she was _pregnant _with _his kid - _and currently walking away. But he couldn't just let her leave. Leaving or letting her walk away knowing that she was pregnant was not something that he would be able to do. Gotham girl or not.

Richard ran a hand down his face with a heavy sigh and rushed after her. "Hey, wait."

Raven glanced at him from the corner of her eye and stopped walking to regard him. "You're still here. What is it?"

He almost sputtered. "What do you mean '_what is it_'? What are we going to do?"

"_We_?"

"Yes. _We_."

She blinked and raised a foot to take a step back. Then she dropped her foot and took a moment to watch him suspiciously. "I didn't think that you would actually want to stick around."

"Why wouldn't I stick around? You're having my kid."

"Are you only sticking around because I'm a Gotham girl?"

"You're not from Gotham, remember?"

A chuckle escaped her.

The first time that he had heard her deep and husky chuckle was when they were a sweaty mess of limbs, and it had been interrupted by her gasp and followed by an enticingly low and hitching moan. This one, the one that slipped from her lips at this moment made his stomach turn ten times more, and it wasn't right. She was pregnant with his child, but she wasn't his. He knew it and so did she, but he couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face at the sound of that chuckle. "What were you going to do?"

"Get a second job," she answered. "I'll need one soon because my parents are going to kick me out of the house once they find out."

"How are you so sure?"

"I know them," she said with a shrug and looked off. "They wouldn't want an unwed and pregnant daughter living under their roof. College graduate or not."

Did she just say 'college graduate'? "You're done with school?"

"I started early and took summer classes. I finished in two and a half years."

At least the kid would be a genius.

"I'm supposed to be the smart one in the family," she continued quietly. "This is a pretty big setback."

Richard didn't like to see her so upset. "It's not a setback. It's a child. That doesn't make you stupid."

"Tell that to my parents."

"I guess I will."

She met his eyes.

Richard nodded determinedly. "I'll be there when you tell them."

Raven scoffed. "Because I'm a Gotham girl?"

"You're not from Gotham." And for the first time, he found a smile on her face.

When they arrived at her apartment, Richard was right at her side. He could just chalk it up to her being pregnant with his child, and he didn't want to acknowledge it, but he knew that this wasn't the only reason that he already felt so protective over her. As she prepared to tell her parents, her hands shook. He didn't reach out to hold them, but he did reassure her of his presence.

Once she finally stuttered out the words "I'm pregnant", her father uttered two words of his own: "Get out."

Although she expected it, Richard could tell that actually hearing the words with her own two ears shocked her to the core. Now, they were sitting on the front steps of her apartment building.

"I told you," she spoke into her hands, her voice a bit muffled. "I should have just gotten my stuff, crashed at Terra's place until I got the second job, and then told them."

In her father's anger, he didn't even allow her to gather her things. It was only due to the presence of her mother that Richard had gotten out of there safely. He did _not_ know what to do. "I'm sorry," he told her after a moment.

"It's not your fault, Boy Blunder."

"Boy Blunder?"

"You _blundered_ and got me pregnant."

"You _just_ said that this wasn't my fault."

"I was talking about my parents."

He couldn't help the laugh the escaped him at that. She burrowed her face deeper into her hands and he knew that it was because she was smiling. Before he could stop himself, he said the words that would get him in trouble and keep him in said trouble throughout the rest of this pregnancy: "Why don't you move in with me?"

She removed her hands from over her face to look at him. "Excuse me?"

Quite frankly, he was just as surprised as she looked. Nevertheless, he powered through. "You're pregnant with my child and you need a place to live. I'd be happy to help you out with that."

"Because I'm a Gotham girl?"

"You're not from Gotham."

Her nose crinkled up adorably. "Because I'm the Gotham girl who's pregnant with your baby, then. What happens after this baby comes? We go our separate ways?"

"We're having a kid together. We'll be stuck together for a while."

"Eighteen years."

"Maybe longer."

A moment of silence passed between them and Richard could hear the sounds of the summer night. Crickets were chirping, bugs were buzzing, and there was a light breeze. All he could think of was how differently things would have gone if he had a proper summer vacation. If he had just gone out of the country like he normally did, none of this would have happened. Richard would not have been in this situation had he just gone traveling. Yet, he couldn't help but to think of how perfectly her violet eyes and moon dusted skin fit the scenery of this summer night.

Raven shook her head and looked to the sky. She released a heavy breath. "I guess I'm going to Gotham."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **_I should be updating my other stories, but after getting such a positive response for the first chapter, I just HAD to write another one to thank you guys! :) I'm so glad that you guys like this story even though I don't know where the hell this is going to go, but we'll see soon. Hopefully. Maybe. I dunno. (I really don't.) Nevertheless, thanks for the love and for so much of it! I hope you enjoy this as much as you did the first and please, don't hesitate to tell me what you think or to give any constructive criticisms. :)

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_Baby Daddy_: Chapter One

**_._**

Despite having such a slick mouth, Raven was actually quite the tight-lipped driving companion. In fact, as soon as they hit Gotham City, she grew completely silent. There were no more silly banters or witty responses to anything that Richard had to say. Instead, it was the droning of the radio and the engine's humming that filled the silence of the car ride. Although he would have preferred to hear that unbelievably deep and husky voice of hers, Richard understood her silence and left her to observe her new surroundings. It was, after all, the first time that she had been so deep in Gotham.

"Remind me," she spoke rather abruptly. "What did you say that you did for a living, again?"

Along with this being her first time so deep in Gotham, this was also Raven's first time at the Wayne estate. Not that she knew it.

A smile creeped its way onto his face and he looked to her. The smell of coffee beans seemed to hit him even harder now that he was looking at her. The breeze flowing through the car windows made the hairs that didn't make it into her bun dance and float about. Her pale fingers constantly worked to comb the rebellious tendrils down and away from her face, but to no avail. Even in the dead of the night, those violet eyes seemed to be glowing, and her brows knitted and unknitted as she surveyed the area around her.

Suddenly, Richard was very glad that he had passed up on the train ride to the café that night and opted to drive instead. It wasn't because of the free show that he was getting (not that he wasn't enjoying _that - _which he was _totally_ doing), but because he needed at least _some_ semblance of control over his life after finding out that he was about to become a _father_.

Slowly, the wide metal gates of the estate spread themselves open for the car with a creaking that dragged and pierced into the silence of the night. To say that Raven looked suspicious was an understatement. A big one.

Nevertheless, Richard looked to the winding road ahead of them. "I can't remind you of something that I never told you." At that, he drove past the gates.

Immediately, Raven turned to watch the gates. Just as slowly as they did while opening, the gates closed with the same dragging creak. "Tell me now," she demanded once they shut with a surprisingly quiet slam. She turned to look to him expectantly, and he caught another whiff of coffee beans and the slightest hint of tea. It was a soothing scent, not too strong nor too soft. "And don't tell me that you're a barista."

Deep underneath that moon dusted skin of hers, Gotham was definitely running through her veins. Richard couldn't help but to wonder how much time she spent with her own Gotham-bred mother as a child. He looked to her, met with her wondering and violet eyes, and his stomach turned.

Richard wanted the barista.

And he got her.

_Pregnant_.

Very briefly, he wondered if the child would end up with her eyes - 'genetic mutation' or not. Then, with a heavy sigh, he returned his attention back to the winding road. "Welcome to the manor."

"The _manor_?" she spat out. "What kind of bull shit is _that_?"

She sounded absolutely revolted. Perhaps it was because of how husky her voice was or because he was probably just sick in the head, but for some reason this revulsion was kind of sexy. "Okay, were you at least born in a _hospital_ in Gotham?"

"You better answer my question right now before I kick my foot so far up your pretty ass, you'll be tasting- Who's that?"

Richard was a bit disappointed. He was actually looking forward to hearing the rest of her threat. By now, he was positive that he really was just sick in the head. Instead of asking her to finish the threat, he slowed the car down and followed her line of vision. Standing at the front door of the manor was Alfred himself.

The car stopped.

Richard couldn't even remember the last time that Alfred waited up for him. It was probably during high school or when he had first entered college and gotten into partying. Of course, that was done with, especially now that he was to become a father. Usually, Bruce would always be at the old man's side, and Richard's phone would always be filled with a plethora of missed phone calls and ignored texts messages. This time, there were no phone calls or text messages, which meant that Bruce was still on vacation. This also meant that there was no lecture in store for Richard. His father was a bit hard, but who would give lectures at four in the morning?

Incredulously, Richard looked back to the clock. _Four_ in the _morning_?!

Richard parked the car right there. He could put it into the garage later on. After making that mental note, he took the key out of the ignition. He stepped out, shut the door behind him, and made his way over to Raven's side to open the door.

Steadily, she stepped out of the car and allowed him to shut the door behind her. The look on her face was well past 'suspicion', and rightfully so. If Richard had just found out that he was pregnant and decided to live with the father of the child only to find out that the father lived at a huge estate with a butler who looked like _Alfred_, he would be just as afraid. Probably even more because she seemed pretty tough.

Richard didn't want to see that look on her face. So, he smiled and held an arm out for her to take. "Come on," he said and she looked to him with a slight jump. "He doesn't bite."

Raven watched him for a bit, looked to Alfred, then back to Richard before rolling her eyes up to the night sky with a hissed swear. She released a heavy sigh and hooked her arm around his, allowing him to lead her up the stairs and to Alfred.

Richard didn't doubt that the butler had been waiting there all night. It wouldn't be the first time, but that didn't take away from how bad he felt about it. "Sorry for keeping you up."

The butler nodded. "I never minded when you were younger and I don't mind now. However, you should have at least sent me a text message just as you did the other night, Master Grayson."

Raven scoffed and looked to Richard. "_Master_ Grayson?"

Finally, Alfred regarded her with a nod. "Yes."

She looked to him.

"He is Master Grayson and you are Miss..."

"Raven."

Alfred nodded again. "He is Master Grayson, you are Miss Raven, and I am Alfred."

"_Alfred_?"

"Yes, I am Alfred," he repeated with a nod. "Welcome to the Wayne Manor."

"The _Wayne__ Manor_?"

"Yes," Alfred confirmed with another nod. "The Wayne Manor, as in, the manor or home, if you will, of Bruce Wayne."

At that moment, Richard could swear on every single thing he owned that he heard her breath hitching right at her throat. He didn't know much about pregnancy or babies, but he was pretty sure that not being able to breathe wouldn't be good for her or the baby. Actually, he was quite sure that not being able to breathe wasn't good for anyone, pregnant or not.

Before he could tell her to start breathing, she released a stuttering breath. "Bruce- _Bruce Wayne_? And you're his- his butler? Al- _Alfred_?"

"Yes. You are absolutely correct, Miss Raven."

Raven looked to Richard, her brows rising with each passing second. "And- and you're Bruce- Bruce Wayne's k- _kid_."

Richard was quite impressed with her stuttering. He wouldn't have been able to guess that she could stutter like that. The last time that he had heard her stutter so profusely was when they were in bed together and even that couldn't compare to this moment. Because of this, there was a grin growing onto his face. It was amusing to see someone so eloquent and so well spoken be driven to stutters at the mere mentioning of a name, and his _father's_ name, at that. It was adorable, a term that he didn't usually use to describe Gotham girls.

'_She's not from Gotham_,' a voice reminded him. It sounded _a lot_ like hers.

"Come on, Raven," Richard said as her stutters continued. "We both know that you're much more articulate than this."

Rather than responding with that signature wit of hers, Raven's stuttering actually came to a halt. A weak sigh escaped her, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and her knees buckled underneath her as she fainted.

Richard caught her with ease and cradled her in his arms. His grin continued to grow as he watched her. Not only had he gotten her to stutter, but he also got her to faint. Both in one sitting. Or standing, however one looked at it. That was a feat in itself.

"Will our guest be all right?"

Translation: _What the _hell_ is going on here?_

Richard ignored the fact that she may or may not have been glowing in his arms to look up and meet Alfred's eyes. It was silent as they stood at the front door of the manor. The two men watched each other with a fainted Raven in Richard's arms and between them. He was sure that they made quite the scene. Had this entire estate not been gated, he was even more sure that they would have received a few questions from some inquiring and nosy neighbors the next morning.

"She's pregnant."

"Oh, _dear_." It wasn't often that the old man ever blurted anything out. He was _Alfred_. Everything about him was practiced and put together, but this was certainly news that would undo anyone. "Master Grayson, I'm sure that with such _expensive_ schooling you _must_ have received the proper sexual education concerning contraceptives."

Richard shirked back with a cringe and held Raven a bit closer. There that lecturing went. And it was about sex. Coming from _Alfred_. "Alfred, I'm going to stop you right there-"

Raven's quiet groan interrupted him.

Both men looked to her, watching her before Richard shook his head with a sigh. "I'm in a mess. She found out that she was pregnant, and her father kicked her out of the house. She was going to take care of it all by herself, but I couldn't let her, so I invited her to live here. I couldn't let her do this alone, Al."

"Am I to assume that you'll be taking care of her?"

"I'm not so sure that she would ever allow anyone but herself to do that."

Another silent moment passed and Richard could hear a car alarm go off in the distance.

Alfred clicked his tongue. "I'll prepare a room for Miss Raven." At that, he spun on his heel and made his way into the manor.

Richard tore his eyes away from Raven and looked up, only to be met with Alfred's retreating figure. "Thank you, Alfred," he said as he followed after him.

"This shall be rather interesting once your father finds out. Don't you think?"

"May you _please_ just go and fix her room up?"

Alfred guffawed.

Raven groaned.

Richard kicked the door shut behind him.

He didn't sleep well that night. At all. He didn't know _why_, but he just didn't feel _right_. It wasn't because the mother of his child was sleeping in the bedroom right next door or because it was so hot. It wasn't until his clock hit five o'clock that he was finally able to fall asleep, but not before his stomach dropped and his heartbeat suspiciously picked its pace up. When he woke up later on and made his way to the kitchen for breakfast, he soon discovered why his body was acting so strangely.

Bruce was back from vacation.

_-insert preferred brands of gasps and/or screams of terror here-_

No wonder Richard woke up with the same queasy feeling that he fell asleep with.

His father's first words to him were not '_hello_', '_how was your first summer at home?_', and did not even begin with '_my summer was_...' Instead, the first thing that he said to Richard was, "Where is she?"

AKA: Typical Bruce.

Of course, the first and only coherent thought running through Richard's mind after having just woken up and receiving such a question was: "It's way too early for this shit." Unfortunately, he actually said this aloud.

However, luckily for him and before Bruce could grab for his neck, Alfred was there. "I'll introduce you to her, Master Wayne."

The walk to Raven's room was long and awkward to say the least. It wasn't as if he was walking to his wife's room or even to his girlfriend's. He was being escorted by his butler to the bedroom of the girl that he'd impregnated in order to introduce her to his father.

Ugh.

When they finally arrived to the room, Alfred knocked twice. "Miss Raven."

It was silent before a bit of shuffling was heard and followed by a, "Yes?"

Bruce's jaw ticked, but he didn't look at Richard. In fact, he had not looked at Richard once throughout this entire journey (and it was a _journey_) to her bedroom.

_Ugh_.

"May we have a word with you?"

A bit more shuffling was heard before the door opened and Raven was revealed. She didn't look as sleep deprived as he felt. In fact, she looked pretty well rested and her hair was still in that messy bun at the nape of her neck. Those violet eyes looked to Alfred, Richard, then widened as she craned her neck upward to finally and fully take Bruce's gargantuan figure in.

Alfred cleared his throat. "Master Wayne, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Miss Raven. Miss Raven, this is Master _Bruce_ _Wayne_."

It was silent. An awkward silence. More awkward than the walk to her room and Richard was _positive_ that he was _still_ the only one who felt it.

"Oh," Alfred spoke. "Don't worry, sir. She fainted last night."

Bruce looked immensely satisfied.

Raven looked immensely insulted. She crossed her arms with a glare directed to Bruce. "You were waiting for me to _faint_?"

"Last name." The older man had his hands clasped at his back and his chin jutted out. All he had to do was puff his chest and he would make a pretty convincing drill sergeant. Thus, the true reason why Richard could never bring anyone home.

Raven didn't seem threatened. "Roth."

"Parents."

"Arella and Trigon."

"Profession."

"Barista."

"Age."

"Twenty."

"What part of Gotham are you from?"

"I'm not from Gotham."

Bruce's brow actually jumped. It wasn't voluntary. That much was quite clear. "Where are you from, then?"

A light scoff slipped from her lips. She looked to Richard and he raised his brows as if to say, '_I _told_ you that you looked like a Gotham girl_'. With a shake of her head, she looked to Bruce. "I'm from Jump."

"Are you sure that you're pregnant with my son's child?"

Correction: _This_ was why Richard could never bring anyone home.

Even if Bruce was a bit of a celebrity, Raven looked thoroughly sick of this interrogation. Whether she was well rested or not, it was obviously too early for her, as well. "I'm quite sure that I peed on seven pregnancy tests."

"_Seven_?"

"I figured that since it's the _holy_ number, the answer would change, but it didn't. And now, I'm here. In the middle of the Wayne Manor. Speaking to Bruce Wayne about my pregnancy. Because I got knocked up by his son. Richard Grayson," she concluded in a deadpan.

For some reason, Richard felt his heart stutter a bit.

As Alfred made a weak attempt at choking and stifling a laugh down, Bruce watched her closely. Then, he looked to Richard, the first time that he looked at his son since finding out about the pregnancy. "I like this one." He looked back to Raven. "Come on, I'll show you Richard's baby pictures." At that, he turned and walked away.

Raven's arms fell to her sides and she blinked. She looked to Richard.

Richard shrugged a bit helplessly. He was just as surprised. Quite honestly, he was expecting his father to lecture both him and Raven, and maybe even Alfred about unprotected sex and unexpected pregnancies. Instead, he was offering to show her Richard's _baby pictures_.

"Should I follow him?"

And _hell_, her voice was just _so_ _damned_ _sexy_.

"I think that you should follow him."

With an uncharacteristically childish yet impossibly adorable huff, she rushed after Bruce.

Alfred waited a beat before looking to Richard. "I knew that this would be interesting once your father found out. Didn't I tell you, Master Grayson?"

"_Alfred_."

The butler finally allowed a bit of that laughter to escape, pulled the door to Raven's bedroom shut, and followed after Bruce and Raven. "You should come. I'm sure that your father won't hesitate to show the more embarrassing photographs."

Actually, Richard was quite sure that his father wouldn't hesitate to do so and that the more embarrassing photographs would come _first_. Because of this, he was absolutely positive that it was much too early for this shit. Nevertheless, instead of returning to his room for more sleep, he followed after Alfred.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_** So, I think that I've got the plot and everything else for this thing figured out. O_o Maybe. I dunno. Let's hope. ANYWAY, I'm so glad that you like this story. Thank you for the reviews, for reading, and for the encouragement. They are my writing juice! Elizabeth Somer is mentioned in this chapter and she is a real person. I found her and a quote from her while doing a little Googling on pregnancy. It's a pretty neat topic to do casual research on. :)

Just a little warning: this chapter might have quite a bit of mistakes in it, but I'll be sure to fix this up later. It's 3 AM going on 4 and I am _not_ about to do that right now, haha!

* * *

_Baby Daddy_: Chapter Two

_**.**_

It didn't take Raven very long to get settled into the manor. She had, after all, shown up at the front door beside Richard with only the shoes on her feet, the clothes on her back, and a purse slung over her shoulder. But this was just a guess - the assumption that her settlement into the house had not taken long, that is. And this really was an assumption because within the full week that Richard had not seen her, he was also unable to see if she had been properly settled in.

"Not at all gentlemanly," Richard could imagine Alfred chiding him. "Not even in the least bit."

Considering the fact that they now lived in the same house, it really was strange to think that he had not seen her in a week. Actually, the thought of living in the same house with the woman he had impregnated was even stranger. But the strangest part of all was that it wasn't merely a thought - it was a fact. Raven Roth, the barista Richard had been fawning over, and consequently knocked up, was now living in the manor. This was now her home as much as it was his.

Quite frankly, the entire situation as a whole was just... _strange_.

Anyhow, the last time that Richard had physically seen Raven was last week during breakfast. It was the morning after she had been properly introduced to Bruce and after Richard proved to be successful in keeping his baby pictures hidden. That morning, she stepped into the dining area, greeted both Bruce and Alfred with a polite "Good morning", and sat in front of her plate of food which was coincidentally and consequently placed directly across from Richard's own plate.

A staring match ensued then.

Richard couldn't help but to think of how those violet eyes made his stomach turn with such excitement when they first met. During that very moment, those violet eyes were still making his stomach turn, though not in excitement, per se. Right then, she looked like she belonged in the dictionary beside the word 'challenge' or 'death'. Her expression would easily suffice for either one.

Then finally, with a scoff and a shake of her head, she uttered a _decidedly_ bitter: "How the _fuck_ did I let myself get knocked up by Bruce Wayne's kid?"

At that, she began to eat her breakfast.

Bruce immediately choked on his black coffee, one of the very few times that Richard had ever caught his father in a moment of vulnerability. Even more surprisingly, Alfred wasn't doing his job for once. Instead of making sure that Bruce wouldn't choke to death at the breakfast table at the hands of an unwitting and pregnant barista, the old man released a longwinded wheeze before choking out a fit of coughing laughs.

Richard, unfortunately, wasn't able to gain his own happiness from this. And so, he muttered out a rather pathetic, "Sorry."

Alfred wheezed. Again.

Bruce, who was able to finally stop choking, brought his mug up to his mouth.

Raven's response simply came as a short and dismissive snort. After this, she finished her cup of tea, thanked Alfred for the meal (who was far too busy laughing to notice), bid them adieu, and made her way to work.

It was dead silent after that, save for Alfred's laughter. Then Bruce set his mug down onto the table and looked to Richard. One corner of his mouth was turned _upward_, which was to say that it wasn't turned _downward_ or even set _straight_. Before Richard could comment on that, not that he would even be able to do so at this point, Bruce spoke for the second time since meeting Raven: "I like this one."

Alfred had to leave the room after that.

But it wasn't like they couldn't hear his cackles, wheezes, and foot stomping from next door.

And that was the last time that Richard had seen her with his own two eyes. True, the manor was quite big, but it was still strange for him not to catch, at least, a little glimpse of her in a hallway. However, the manor wasn't the only place that he would be able to see her; it was just the most convenient - or was supposed to be. She still worked at the café, and whether she worked at the back or not, he could easily see her there as he had before. To make matters worse, he had even heard a rumor that Alfred had taken her shopping in order to replace all of the necessities that she was forced to leave behind.

A _rumor_. In _his_ _own_ _house, _for goodness' sake!

But, for all he knew, she could have just up and left the manor, and gone back to live in Jump. She did mention a friend who would be willing to house her. Terra, was it?

Once again, Richard was able to see her in the house, and if not, he could catch her at the café. She worked there and he _was_ always there. He could see her at either place if he wished to do so. Which he did not.

And this brings us to the truth.

The truth being that it wasn't he had not _seen_ Raven around. He was _avoiding_ her. Now, this _truly_ was an _epically ironic _turn of events when he considered just how much he had wanted her from the moment that he set his sights on her.

It wasn't that Richard _wanted_ to be avoiding her. Oh, no. He definitely didn't want to do that, especially when avoiding people, period, just wasn't in his character in the first place. He would actually prefer to be with her, not romantically, but in a friendly sense even if their longest encounter was in a bed. She was just a one night stand, and consequently, the mother of his child, but hell, did that woman have Gotham running through her veins. Plus, she really was just nice to look at. But, unfortunately and devastatingly for him, he couldn't even bear to do _that_, either. Not without a guilty conscience.

When Raven declared how baffled she was at the reality of getting knocked up by Bruce Wayne's kid, Richard didn't take it personally - he couldn't. Not even when Alfred almost laughed himself to death. She really _did_ get knocked up by Bruce Wayne's kid, and because of this, she was kicked out of her own home by her father. Because of him, she was forced to suddenly uproot her life and move to a new and unfamiliar area. Although she played her own part in this, Richard couldn't help but to feel completely and totally responsible.

Avoiding her, however unconventionally noble his intentions were, was a bit stupid and very babyish. The universe, who had been having its own fun ever since this entire situation began, apparently thought the same.

And so, on one fateful Sunday night, the universe decided to continue having this fun with Richard.

It was the smell of something crispy that woke him from his slumber. Richard wasn't sure which food item this smell was coming from, and in true human nature, he didn't care. He didn't care that it was almost two in the morning and he didn't care to wonder just why it was that the smell of crispiness was flowing through the vents of his bedroom at almost two in the morning. Now that he was awake at almost two in the morning, he was just hungry for whatever this crispy food was. So, of course, he made his way for the kitchen.

"Thank you for cooking something up for me, Alfred," Raven's low and husky voice spoke, stopping Richard right at his tracks outside of the kitchen. "I hope I'm not being a bother."

Richard could have sworn that he heard the universe cackling its butt off. But that may (or may not) have just been the effects of the late hour and the smell of... Was that- Did he smell _chicken nuggets_?

"Oh," Alfred spoke. "You're far from being a bother, Miss Raven. It's not often that we have a guest gracious enough to aid me in starting my day off with a laugh and a smile at the expense of either Master Wayne or Master Grayson."

_Alfred_.

Raven chuckled that deep chuckle and Richard felt his throat constrict at the sound. And this wasn't right. At all. She was just a one night stand and the mother of his child (what an incredibly _bizarre_ thought). He had only invited her to stay with them to help her out. So, before he could start thinking about how much he actually missed the sound of her rough and gravelly voice when he shouldn't have even been caught up in describing the kind of voice she had, he finally stepped into the kitchen just as the oven began to beep.

"Ah," Alfred chirped with a smile. He spun around to silence the oven and grabbed a pair of oven mitts. "You're just in time, Master Grayson."

At the mention of his name, Raven sat up a bit and turned to look at him. "So, you've finally decided to come out of hiding."

Alfred coughed a bit, but Richard didn't pay him any mind because he was still stuck on how much she reminded him of his city. Now, she was here in this city. And _pregnant with his baby._

She arched a brow.

At that moment, it finally clicked in his brain that this was going to be a _long_ nine months.

_"Eighteen years."_

_"Maybe longer."_

Shit.

Unable to withstand her questioning and unwavering gaze any longer, Richard finally sat down beside her at the counter. He scoffed. "I haven't been hiding."

She responded with a scoff of her own. It sounded a bit mocking and he wouldn't have been surprised if it was meant to be. "Yes, you have. You haven't even been at the café."

"How would you know if I was there or not if you're working at the back?"

"Didn't I tell you that my coworkers think you're gorgeous?"

He did remember her saying that. "Touché."

A corner of her mouth turned up.

He managed to ignore just how cute she looked like that. "Maybe I've been too busy to visit your little café."

This time, her scoff was definitely and without a doubt meant to mock him. "Maybe. Although, I do doubt that. From what I've seen so far, you're quite boring."

Alfred's snickers started up and Raven ducked her head in an attempt to either hide or fight off a growing smile. Despite being the butt of the joke, Richard couldn't deny that he did miss her unique brand of humor. As much as he could miss the humor of his pregnant one night stand, that is.

Richard rolled his eyes and he caught the slightest hint of a very tiny smile playing at her lips. Pregnant one night stand or not, maybe he was wrong to avoid her. "Ha. Very funny."

The tiny smile on her face grew just a bit, although she did seem to be fighting it. "I'm sorry." Before he could vocally acknowledge the fact that she apologized to him, she continued with, "Not about that."

Of course.

"About last week," she resumed, much to his surprise. "I didn't mean to insult you like that during breakfast. If anything, your _father_ was the one who should have been insulted. I was just overwhelmed at the prospect of having Bruce Wayne's _grandkid_."

She looked a bit conflicted. Her brows were a bit knitted and her nose was doing that cute, little scrunching thing. No matter how adorable she looked, Richard didn't want to see her like that. "It's fine. It's not like I took it personally."

_"Ha!" _the universe laughed.

Nevertheless, Richard continued. "You really did get knocked up by Bruce Wayne's kid." She snorted and he held back a chuckle. "Just don't let him hear you say the 'g' word. He's got a complex."

There was a chastising tut. "_Honestly_, Richard," Alfred muttered with a shake of his head. He approached the counter and placed a platter of chicken nuggets before them, thus confirming Richard's suspicions. If he had not been watching the chicken nuggets, he would have noticed Raven's eyes lighting up at the sight of the food.

Once Alfred placed a small plate and a fork in front of each of them, Raven stuck her fork into three chicken nuggets, placed them onto a plate, and passed it over to Richard. At that, she took a napkin and the entire platter for herself.

Richard frowned a bit at his three nuggets before blinking up at her. "You're hungry."

"I'm hungry," she confirmed with a nod, her fingers dancing on the marble countertop. She looked about ready to devour the nuggets and the entire platter whole right then and there. "I'm starving, actually. I ate before going to bed, but I woke up at around one _craving_ chicken nuggets and vanilla flavored yogurt."

Alfred snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes. I knew that I was forgetting _something_." He went to the refrigerator and dug deep into it before pulling out a packet of yogurt. Once the door was shut, he stepped over to place it in front of the young woman.

Immediately, Raven took the yogurt and peeled the top off. She took a chicken nugget and dipped it into the yogurt. Once she made sure that there was an adequate amount of yogurt on the nugget, she stuffed it into her mouth.

"Bon appétit!" Alfred declared happily.

Raven released a contented sigh.

Richard, however, was ready to vomit. The French phrase 'bon appétit' could _literally_ be translated as 'good appetite'. A person who could sit down and eat something like _that_ obviously did _not_ have a _good appetite._ She worked at a cafe, so he automatically assumed that she would have a good appetite for food. She was a barista and made him a delicious drink, for goodness' sake. However, barista or not, she was also pregnant. Now, Richard didn't have much experience with anything or anyone related to pregnancy, but he was adamant in his theory that the _only_ people capable of enjoying such disgusting and revolting food combinations were _pregnant people._

But Richard would stay calm. After being awoken by such an enticing scent, he was looking forward to his chicken nuggets, and she was _not_ about to ruin his appetite. "When you said that you were craving chicken nuggets and yogurt, I didn't think that you actually meant _chicken nuggets and yogurt_."

"Tell me about it," she snorted before stuffing another yogurt covered nugget into her mouth.

Richard cringed.

"According to Elizabeth Somer," she continued with her cheek round and a bit puffed. "'The extreme hormonal changes women go through during pregnancy can have a huge impact on taste and smell'."

Very hesitantly, Richard picked a chicken nugget up. "It's safe to say that your sense of taste has definitely been impacted."

Raven shrugged, finished chewing, and swallowed the remaining contents in her mouth. She looked to Alfred. "Do you have any pickles?"

With a nod, Alfred walked over to the refrigerator, dug in, and emerged with three jars. "I've got three different brands. Which would you like?"

"All three."

Alfred nodded once again and placed the three jars in front of Raven. She turned the top off of one jar, pulled out a single pickle slice, and placed it in between two chicken nuggets. At that, she dunked the pickle-nugget sandwich into the yogurt and took a big bite.

Fuck Richard's appetite.

He placed the chicken nugget back onto his plate and shoved it away. He didn't know why he even tried. His appetite had no hope and was a lost cause from the very beginning. "You really are pregnant."

"As if I would lie about something like that to _you_." As Alfred seemed to be choking on a sudden laugh, Raven took Richard's plate and discarded the three nuggets into her platter before placing his plate back in front of him. "I wouldn't be sitting here eating this mess if I wasn't pregnant."

At least she knew it and could admit that her 'meal' was a mess. It was then that it dawned on him: living with a pregnant woman was certainly going to be rather interesting, to say the least. It wasn't living with a pregnant woman, but rather _who_ this pregnant woman happened to be.

Richard placed his elbows onto the counter and slapped his palms onto his face with a heavy sigh. The slap hurt a bit, but he needed it.

There was a crunch followed by another contented sigh. "Welcome aboard."

Well, at least he had a partner in all this.

"Thanks." He wasn't looking, but he was sure that she nodded just to dismiss him. It was silent after this and he could hear her chewing her food along with the sound of Alfred doing a bit of work. The sounds were a bit soothing, and only God knew just how badly he needed to be soothed at this point.

"Garfield tells me that you started coming to the café every day about last month," Raven began before correcting herself. "Well, you _used_ to come every day."

Richard nodded into his palms. "Does he think I'm gorgeous, too?"

"He thinks that you're pretty handsome for a potato."

That got Richard to look at her. "A _potato_?"

She didn't look at him, but she seemed to be fighting off a smile and thinking of a memory as she put another pickle-nugget sandwich together. "He's jealous of all of the attention you get in the back room. He's pretty glad that you haven't been coming in lately."

Richard didn't have to ask. He knew that _she_ wasn't participating in the little back room gush-fests. Not that he cared. He looked to Alfred and the old man, busying himself with cleaning, didn't look too concerned with the conversation. "Did you tell him? About us?"

_"__Us?"_ the universe asked slyly. _"I didn't think that you two were an _'us_'."_

"We're not," Richard almost spoke.

_"Well. Not yet,"_ the universe shot back.

"No," Raven said with a shake of her head, thus pulling Richard from his thoughts. She dunked the little pickle-nugget sandwich into the yogurt. "But I do think that he knows. Not about the pregnancy, but he looks at me every time they talk about you."

'They'. Not '_we_'.

Not that Richard cared. Once again.

"Which reminds me. If you ever do decide to come back, you have to meet Jinx. She wants to sit on your face."

Immediately, Alfred began to choke, coughing on his breath and the pure air that he had just been breathing.

"Why did you stop coming?" she continued as if Alfred wasn't currently choking to death. "My coworkers would like to know. Minus Garfield, of course." Finally, she placed the little sandwich into her mouth.

As Alfred poured himself a glass of water, still choking, mind you, Richard chuckled. He remembered Garfield, and it was a very brief memory. He was the one who practically encouraged Raven to flirt with Richard that night he had finally mustered up the courage to approach her. And in true Gotham girl fashion, she made it a bit difficult.

Finally, she met his eyes with her own violet ones and waited for his answer. She was completely oblivious to the effect that those eyes were having on him, even as she was chewing on that disgusting concoction.

Richard wanted to ask if she was wondering along with her coworkers, but there would be no logic behind his asking. Or safety, either. Any answer would just send him spiraling down _something_ that he did _not_ want to and _could_ not afford to be spiraling down. When she looked away to fix up another pickle-nugget sandwich, he spoke. "I've been feeling guilty."

Her brows knitted just a bit; almost indiscernibly. "Guilty? Why?"

Richard glanced at Alfred. The butler had moved on to sweeping. He didn't doubt that the old man was just masquerading his nosiness and his distrust for leaving two people of the opposite sex alone with doing busywork. Alfred was old fashioned, but honestly. Richard was almost tempted to reiterate the fact that she was _already pregnant._ How much further could they _possibly_ go if they were left alone in a kitchen at two in the morning?

_"Would you like to find out?" _the universe teased.

Richard ignored it. "It's just that during breakfast last week-"

"I told you that that insult was meant for your father."

"Yeah, but you _really did_ get knocked up by Bruce Wayne's kid-"

"A fact that we've both already confirmed."

This woman. "I just feel, I don't know, _bad_ that you had to leave your home and had to come here."

Raven's face contorted so fiercely into a look that could only be described as pure and utter _disgust_. "_That's_ why you haven't been to the café? And why I haven't seen you?" Before he could even nod, she continued. "Don't insult me."

Richard blinked. "Excuse me?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Is the guilt tearing you up inside, Richard? Do you just want to stay inside your room all day and hide?" She moved on to make another sandwich. "_I'm_ the one who had to move out. Hell, I'm the one giving birth to this child. How the hell do you think _I'm_ feeling? You don't see me hiding, and sulking, and bitching and moaning do you? No, you don't. I still go to work on a daily basis and live."

A pause.

"And I am also perfectly content with eating this pickle-chicken nugget sandwich dunked in vanilla flavored yogurt."

All Richard could do was frown. Not only because he had just been more than properly chastised, but because she really was enjoying that sandwich. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overlook your feelings."

"It might just be a rich kid thing. I mean, you _are_ Bruce Wayne's kid."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Unabashedly, she took a bite out of her sandwich. "You have no business feeling guilty. And I'm not saying this to make you feel better. Don't be such a spoiled brat."

"You can't keep insulting me in my own house like this."

"Yes, I can. I'm pregnant. I can do anything I want, especially if you deserve it."

To say that Richard wasn't expecting that was a great understatement. But it wasn't like everything she said wasn't true. In fact, it was all true. All he had been thinking about was how uncomfortable this situation made him feel, but she had it way worse than he did in all this. As she said, he really was being a spoiled brat, she really was pregnant, and he really did deserve to get chewed out. "You're right. I'm sorry. I mean it."

"I accept your apology," she said simply. At that, Raven looked to Alfred, not at all interested in the previous conversation any longer. "Do you have peanut butter?"

Alfred, who had been silent up until this point, nodded and set the broom aside. He walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door, and dug in before emerging with two jugs. "Chunky or smooth?"

She looked at her food and thought for a moment before looking back to Alfred. "Smooth."

"Fine choice," Alfred said with a nod as he placed the jug in front of her. "I wouldn't be able to stomach being in the same room as you had you chosen the chunky."

"I'm pregnant," she said once Alfred placed a clean knife and spoon beside the jar of peanut butter. "Not gross."

Richard watched her take the knife and spread the peanut butter onto a pickle slice very neatly, as if she were savoring the moment, before dunking it into the yogurt and taking a bite. He frowned.

By now, it was safe to assume that both pregnancy and grossness went hand in hand. Yet, he couldn't deny that it was a bit endearing to see her enjoy something so disgusting as much as she was. As a bit of a smile creeped onto his face to replace his frown, he shook his head. "What do you think of the manor?"

"Well," she began tentatively. "My _hypothesis_ is that it's a pretty good size, and I'm also guessing that it's quite lovely, but the manor and I haven't been properly acquainted yet. My tour guide has been missing in action as of late."

_Goodness_.

Alfred made a choking sound.

Richard ignored that and looked to the timer on the oven. _2:53 AM_, it read. Sure, it was pretty late, but it wasn't like any of them were going to bed anytime soon. So, he stood from his seat and his stomach turned a bit when her eyes followed him. "Maybe you can get your tour now."

At that, she stood and took the jars of peanut butter and pickles into her arms. "I'm taking my food with me."

Richard could admit that the manor was quite big. He wasn't blind, but after living there for so long, he had almost forgotten just how huge it was. Despite this, the tour certainly did a good job of reminding him of the size and of how amazed he had been when he first arrived as a child. Maybe it was because Raven had the same look on her face.

_"Doesn't she look _absolutely_ adorable?"_ the universe sang.

Richard ignored it.

As he carried the jar of peanut butter in his hands, because he was _not_ going to be carrying the _pickles, _Richard showed her to the courts, the gardens, the greenhouse, the guest rooms, the bathrooms, the observatory, and the ballroom. Of course, Alfred trailed behind in hopes of getting a laugh. And of course, Raven, despite being awestruck and dipping a pickle slice into the peanut butter jar that he held, never disappointed.

After a few more jokes and a bit fewer rooms, they arrived to the library. She grew particularly quiet when they reached this room. In fact, she looked quite impressed, and understandably so. The library was probably one of the biggest rooms in the Wayne Manor, and this really was saying something. Bookshelves were stacked up against the walls and extended along the length of the floor. There weren't just books; there were also old almanacs, encyclopedias, and records - like an actual public library. It was all perfectly organized, from top to bottom, and had been so since the Wayne family had lived in this manor. Richard couldn't even imagine what would happen if the entire library was thrown out of kilter. It would be a nightmare to organize and fix up. Alfred definitely wouldn't be able to do it by himself, and Bruce and Richard certainly wouldn't let him.

Violet eyes flitted all around the grand library, attempting to take in its entirety. If she would just look up, she would have noticed that there were even a few chandeliers just overhead. Instead, she focused her attention on a bookshelf. They had been in the room for quite a while, the longest that they had remained in any room during the tour.

"Are you a reader?" he asked as she skimmed through the titles that were written on the spines of the books. She seemed to be looking for something.

Raven nodded. "Yes, but I wasn't able to take any of my books with me."

Now that Richard thought about it, he did remember her room being full of books. She had little stacks of them everywhere: on the floors of each corner, along the walls, on her dresser, and at her bedside next to a lamp. Her room could probably be classified as a mini-library. It was obvious that she loved to read, so he could only imagine how she felt being in a library so grand and so extensive.

Richard never spent much time of his own in the library, not unless it was for school. But at this moment, he wished that he had not taken this blessing, and it was a blessing judging from that look in her eyes, for granted. She had even set her jar of pickles down to search and investigate more closely. That alone was enough to cause his guilt to unravel once again. "I'm sorry."

Quietly, she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Do you do anything besides apologize and get people pregnant?"

From behind a bookshelf, Alfred's wheeze was heard.

Before Richard could correct her and tell her that she was the _only_ person that he had ever gotten pregnant, she released a breath and took a book out of its place. "You get everything you want. Don't you?"

It was obvious that she finally found what she was looking for. Richard could tell from the brightening of her eyes and the way that she caressed the cover of the book before opening it. Maybe it was time for him to learn how to appreciate some books. "Most of the time."

"Bruce Wayne's kid," she muttered to herself as-a-matter-of-factly with a shake of her head. "Spoiled brat."

Richard ignored Alfred's wheezing and began skimming through the book titles. It was quite obvious that along with Bruce, Alfred liked her, too. And Richard? He didn't think that she was so bad. Not so bad, at all.


End file.
